The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) rose today. The Tel Aviv 25 Index rose 0.12% to 1,225.56 points, the Tel Aviv 100 Index rose 0.13% to 1,101.53 points, but the BlueTech 50 Index dipped 0.03% to 309.62 points. Turnover was NIS 568.4 million.
The TASE rose slightly in thin trading today, despite a mixed session on European markets. Wall Street is closed today for Memorial Day.
In the foreign currency market, the Bank of Israel set the shekel-dollar representative exchange rate at NIS 3.696, down 0.16% on Friday's rate, and set the shekel-euro exchange rate at NIS 4.798/€, up 0.64%.
In the bond market, long-term Shahar unlinked shekel government bonds fell by to 0.1% and long term Galil CPI-linked government ranged between losses of 0.1% and gains of 0.2%. The corporate bond benchmark Tel-Bond 20 Index rose 0.11%.
In the stock market, Cellcom Israel Ltd. (NYSE:CEL; TASE:CEL) rose 2%, for the biggest gain among Tel Aviv 25 shares, without any announcement by the company. Partner Communications Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTNR; TASE: PTNR) rose 0.9% and Bezeq Israeli Telecommunication Co. Ltd. (TASE: BEZQ) rose 0.2%.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) fell 0.3% on the day's biggest turnover of NIS 28.3 million.
Bank Hapoalim (TASE: POLI) rose 0.7%, Bank Leumi (TASE: LUMI) rose 0.6%, and Israel Discount Bank (TASE: DSCT) rose 0.5%, but Mizrahi Tefahot Bank (TASE:MZTF) fell 0.2%, ahead of the publication of their financials. Excellence Brokerage today predicted that the banks will report strong results, but this will be because of the sale of assets and capital gains.
Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT) and Oil Refineries Ltd. (TASE:ORL) both fell 0.5% for the biggest loss among Tel Aviv 25 shares.
On the Tel Aviv 100 Index, Rami Levy Chain Stores Hashikma Marketing 2006 Ltd. (TASE:RMLI) rose 2%, ahead of the publication of its financials. IBI Investment House initiated coverage of the share with a "Buy" recommendation, predicting that the independent supermarket will report strong results for the quarter and that the company's market cap is close to its company value.
Elsewhere in the market, El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (TASE: ELAL) fell 4.3%, after reporting widening losses for the first quarter. IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. (TASE:IDBH) fell another 5.5%, and its and subsidiary IDB Development Corporation's bonds ranged between losses of 4.2% and gains of 2.8%.
ITGI Medical Ltd. (TASE:ITGI) rose 18.2%, after announcing an exclusive distribution agreement for its stents in Brazil. Exalenz Bioscience Ltd. (TASE:EXEN) rose another 33.3% on top of yesterday's 51.2% jump, after obtaining US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the upgraded version of its diagnostic test. Allium Medical Ltd. (TASE: ALMD) rose 27.4%, after unveiling its new product, the Wirion, at the Euro-PCR cardiology conference.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on May 27, 2013
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